text: In 1997, the Mount Polley mine opened with the Cariboo pit being the first site developed. The tailings storage facility was also constructed the same year. In 2010, the underground portion of the mine was built and operations expanded.
  During a mine closure between 2002 and 2005, a new location called the "White pit" was discovered in the northeast region of the site. The White pit is located 1.5 km northeast of the Cariboo and Bell pits and revealed the richest deposit on the site (10 million tonnes of .9% copper). The White pit's distance from the Cariboo pit necessitated new permitting.
  Subsequent to the discovery of the white pit, after additional underground mining, another site was discovered and developed called "Martel".